Nine dead in South Memphis house fire; deadliest since 1920s

September 12, 2016- Breyanna Hampton, left, leads a prayer during a candlelight vigil held for the victims of the fatal fire at James and Severson that left nine dead including several children. (Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal)

Nine people, including six children, are dead after an overnight fire at this house. (Yolanda Jones/The Commercial Appeal)

September 12, 2016 - Veronica Trammell (center) is comforted as family members gather outside the scene of a fatal fire at James and Severson that left nine dead including several children. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

Three adults and six children perished in a South Memphis house fire early Monday morning in what officials called the city’s deadliest fire in nearly a century.

One other child pulled from the home in the 1100 block of Severson was clinging to life late Monday at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.

“I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to feel,” said Ernest Jett Jr., the father of all seven of the children. “They was the best, man. They was the best. They was drop-dead gorgeous. Smart. I mean, the most lovingest kids.”

“They got him on the life support. They said they need to give him some rest,” said Ernest Jett Sr., grandfather to all seven children. Jett got a call from his son while firefighters were still battling the blaze, and immediately drove up from Port Gibson, Mississippi.

This tragedy began at 1:23 a.m., when someone in the home used a cell phone to call 911, officials said. The first units from the Memphis Fire Department arrived on the scene four minutes later to find light smoke seeping from the small, one-story brick building.

Firefighters had to break a security door to get into the home, where they were confronted with heavy smoke. Most of the windows on the home had bars over them, apparently as a security measure.

But by the time firefighters made their way inside, there was little they could do to save lives. They pulled 10 people from the house, but all three adults and four of the children were pronounced dead at the scene. The three other children were rushed to Le Bonheur, but two died there. The fire was brought under control at 1:42 a.m., 19 minutes after the first call.

“I broke down crying. Those are my brothers and sisters. That was everything,” said 16-year-old sibling Brandon King, who lives elsewhere.

Neighbors said firefighters pulled victims from the house and laid them on the front lawn. The bodies were covered with a tarp.

“I’ve never seen firemen cry, but they were bawling like babies when they brought the children out,” said Shondra Hampton, whose family lives next door. “We’ve all lived over there for 40 years and we are just devastated.”

More than 100 people gathered in front of the home Monday night for a candlelight vigil in memory of those who lost their lives. Family members released balloons into the sky for each victim. Small candles placed in the driveway spelled out "family" with a heart underneath.

MFD Director Gina Sweat said most of the victims appeared to have suffered from smoke inhalation, but that some were also burned.

MFD inspectors later determined that the home had a working smoke detector, and that the blaze was sparked by a malfunctioning power cord to an air-conditioning unit.

“According to our records this is the most tragic loss of life in a single fire incident since the 1920s,” Sweat said in a morning press conference. “The hearts of the men and women of the department are heavy and deeply touched from the dispatchers who took the call to the first responders who were on the scene.”

Sweat said it’s uncertain if the security bars prevented anyone from trying to escape out of the windows. While Sweat said that firefighters are trained to quickly remove such bars, she added that they do create a danger for people trying to escape a fire. She recommended a quick-release device that can be installed on windows.

According to family members on the scene, Ward — mother to one of the children — ironed their clothes for school the next day, then got ready for bed. Jett Jr. left to go to the store, family members said, but when he returned, he was confronted with the horrific scene.

“Firemen everywhere,” he said.

A few hours after the fire, a large red toy truck and part of a bike on the porch remained undamaged. Friends and relatives ignored crime-scene tape and went inside the home to see the devastation.

“I’ve seen some hard things where we lost family members back-to-back, but never in a group like this. This is by far the hardest and most devastating thing ever,” said Jerry Brack, Futrell’s cousin.

Veronica Trammell, Ward’s mother and grandmother to Alonzo Ward, drove more than four hours from Fayette, Mississippi, to get to the scene.

She called her daughter’s boyfriend at the hospital with the one surviving child, telling him, “Hold Cameron’s hand until I get there.”

“She always tried to help everybody,” Whitmore said, adding that her sister had lived in the house with friends for the past few years. “I can’t believe this.”

Futrell was the grandmother to all of the children who died.

“They are all gone,” said her niece, Elisa Weathersby. “Our hearts are ripped in two.”

Cummings Elementary School principal Key Coleman sent a message to parents at the school, informing them of the tragedy.

“It is with a heavy heart I have to inform you several of our students passed away in a house fire overnight,” Coleman said. “This news is devastating to all of us at the school. Grief counselors were on campus today to help students and staff members cope with this tragedy, and counselors will be made available the rest of the week.”

Futrell’s family walked around the burned house and saw glass knocked out of a back bedroom window, which didn’t have security bars like some of the others. Sofa cushions were stacked on the ground outside the window.

By early afternoon, people had started coming by the house offering prayer, condolences and food to family members.

Michelle Collins dropped off a teddy bear and balloons. “It just hurt my heart,” she said. “I have three boys of my own. We have security bars on our windows and I can’t imagine trying to get out of them.”

Sweat said nothing in their training could prepare firefighters for such a heartbreaking event.

“We are trained to be strong in the face of adversity and personal human loss, but we are also fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts uncles and grandparents. Many times our minds cannot forget what our eyes have seen,” Sweat said. “We will make sure that we take care of our first responders over the next coming days.”

“It is times like these we are reminded of how precious, important and short our lives can be,” she added.

Mayor Jim Strickland also attended the morning press conference, saying, “Our whole city is in mourning for the loss of much of one family.”

The fire was the most deadly blaze in Memphis since 1921, when 10 people were killed and dozens injured in an explosion involving a railroad tank car near Front Street and Mill Avenue.

Staff reporter Jody Callahan contributed to this story.

“They got him on the life support. They said they need to give him some rest,” said Ernest Jett Sr., grandfather to all seven children. Jett got a call from his son while firefighters were still battling the blaze, and immediately drove up from Port Gibson, Mississippi.

This tragedy began at 1:23 a.m., when someone in the home used a cell phone to call 911, officials said. The first units from the Memphis Fire Department arrived on the scene four minutes later to find light smoke seeping from the small, one-story brick building.

About Yolanda Jones

Yolanda Jones is a police reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She focuses on the Memphis Police Department.

About Katie Fretland

Katie Fretland is a journalist for The Commercial Appeal covering the legal system. Her reporting has been published in The Guardian, The New York Times, Vice, Esquire and on NPR. She has appeared on MSNBC and Al Jazeera. She is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism.